Alexander Bastrykin, chairman of the Russian Investigative Committee, told officials that criminals among migrants should not be given a free pass to escape abroad. The remarks were issued through the committee’s press service as part of a briefing that connected immigration crime to a broader mandate to improve accountability and public safety. The session brought together senior investigators and regional leaders, who discussed how gaps in enforcement and border controls could enable offenders to flee and avoid justice.
At an operational meeting dedicated to examining high profile crimes attributed to foreign nationals, Bastrykin outlined a plan that stressed accountability, thorough documentation, and coordinated action across jurisdictions. The participants included senior investigators and regional officials who considered how investigations could be strengthened, how information is shared between agencies, and how fast-track procedures might deter future offenses while protecting public safety.
During the briefing Bastrykin said, ‘Analyze the situation regarding immigration crime, understand the reasons, file a criminal case, do not give criminals the opportunity to escape abroad,’ according to the Investigative Committee press service. The statement underscored a push for deeper analysis of underlying factors and for rapid, decisive legal responses that prevent offenders from evading justice.
Earlier in the session, Bastrykin was directed to initiate a criminal case in connection with an attack on a team of doctors in Moscow carried out by a foreign national. The directive reflected a broader effort to address violence against medical personnel and to ensure that such offenses are pursued with full investigative rigor and cross‑agency coordination.
On September 25, reports described the foreign national’s poor condition after an assault on an ambulance crew on Shkolnaya Street in the Tagansky district. Medical responders rushed to help, but the patient reacted with aggression. In the same discussion, a former Islamic scholar urged Bastrykin to ban the activities of the Council of Muftis of Russia, a remark that fed into the wider debate about immigration and national security.